


A She-Ra Story

by Pendlemoth



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon LGBTQ Female Character, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Character Development, Declarations Of Love, Dimension Travel, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Character, POV Adora (She-Ra), POV Alternating, POV Catra (She-Ra), Post-Canon, Science Fiction, Sex, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:35:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25598173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pendlemoth/pseuds/Pendlemoth
Summary: Hi everyone!This is my first time posting and my first time writing in a long time! I hope you like my work.I'm not sure where this story is going exactly but basically I want to explore life for Adora and Catra after Season 5, as they explore the wider universe.This chapter is really just an introductory piece. Further chapters will be longer and have a bit more drama in them!I will try to post as often as possible! Find me on Instagram @pendlemoth where I will upload my inspirations for my writing. Enjoy x
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> This is my first time posting and my first time writing in a long time! I hope you like my work.
> 
> I'm not sure where this story is going exactly but basically I want to explore life for Adora and Catra after Season 5, as they explore the wider universe. 
> 
> This chapter is really just an introductory piece. Further chapters will be longer and have a bit more drama in them!
> 
> I will try to post as often as possible! Find me on Instagram @pendlemoth where I will upload my inspirations for my writing. Enjoy x

“You coming?” Catra asked, as she reached out her hand towards Adora. Her palm was open, the black of her fingerless gloves contrasting with the bright white jacket hanging casually over her left shoulder. The smile on her face was effortless, free from the torment and strain that years of living in the Fright Zone and her time as a prisoner of Horde Prime had scarred her with… scars that had now faded to the faintest of marks on her soul, like bleached ink on a sun soaked page.

Before she could answer, Adora’s breath caught in her throat and a feeling of _déjà vu_ washed over her, like the ornamental waterfall cascading into the tranquil pool just behind her. She had seen this before. She had watched as Catra burst into the entrance hall of the couple’s private wing of Brightmoon Castle, Glimmer in hot pursuit, wielding a gold-handled hairbrush, intending to make one final stand against Catra’s ‘wild’ hair. She had laughed to herself as Bow, stoic as ever in his determination to be the best friend he could be, urged the young women to hurry up so as not to be late to Scorpia’s first Princess Ball. She also remembered the crushing feeling of grief that engulfed her when she reached to take Catra’s waiting hand, only to have it dissolve around her own, like sand trickling through an hourglass. Yes, she had seen this before but she had never _lived_ this before. This time was different. This time, Horde Prime couldn’t stop her. Adora swallowed the breath she had been holding and reached out, closing the gap between Catra’s hand and her own, closing the gap between dream and reality.

“Everything okay?” Catra’s face betrayed a flash of worry at Adora’s hesitation. Since they had finally realised and expressed their love for each other at the Heart of Etheria, the strength of Adora and Catra’s relationship had only continued to grow. However, despite the newfound sense of clarity that Catra found herself living in since that pivotal moment at the centre of the planet’s core, she was still herself. Although she was living in a more stable present, she could never forget her turbulent past and that past betrayed her sometimes, slipping doubts and insecurities under the radar of her newly fortified mind. Adora’s hesitation had triggered one of those doubts and for a moment it fought its way to the forefront of Catra’s mind before she could rationalise her feelings and consider the multitude of reasons why Adora might have hesitated, reasons that didn’t involve her suddenly realising that she had made a mistake and that she didn’t love Catra after all.

“Adora?” Catra pressed gently.

“Sorry. I… I’m okay. I just… saw something.” Adora answered, staring at their hands, hers on top of Catra’s, their fingers gently curved around each other’s palms.

“What? What did you see?” Catra had to admit she was relieved by Adora’s response. It didn’t seem like the conversation was going the way of the conclusions her mind had first jumped to but she wasn’t exactly thrilled by her girlfriend’s cryptic reply either.

“I… I saw… us. I saw this. This exact moment. And Bow and Glimmer just now. I’ve seen it all before. Only… we never got this far…” Adora squeezed Catra’s hand.

“I don’t get it. Is this a She-Ra thing? Are visions one of your powers or something? And what do you mean we never got this far?” Catra pulled Adora in closer to her, gently placing her hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders, attempting to ground her as she watched Adora’s brow furrow in concentration.

“It was before we freed the planet’s magic, when we were at The Heart. Horde Prime’s virus showed me this moment. When I tried to take your hand Prime appeared instead. He said the whole thing was just a beautiful wish for my future. He said there would be no future for me… and then…” Adora’s voice trailed off and tears rolled suddenly and freely down her face, dropping onto her white dress and leaving dark shadows where they fell.

“And then what, Adora? What happened?” Catra was trying to stay calm on the surface for Adora’s sake but underneath she was beginning to panic at the sight of her love in pain. She tightened her grip on Adora’s shoulders a little and asked again, “Adora, what happened?”

“The world fell away. I fell away. I fell into darkness, wrapped in Prime’s virus. I thought that was it. I thought that was how it would end. After everything we had done, after everything we had been through, the thought that all of it had been for nothing hurt more than anything… but then…”

“Then what, Adora?”

Adora looked up into Catra’s eyes.

“Then there was you.” Adora let out a deep breath and with it, all of the pain and anxiety she had experienced from the recovered memory melted away from her. She smiled and closed the gap between them, resting her forehead against Catra’s own and cradling her face in her hands. “You brought me back, back to the light, back to reality, back to this moment. When I thought everything was lost, this is all I wished for. And it came true. I can’t believe it came true!”

Catra laughed at that. “You’re literally a magical being and _you_ can’t believe that a wish came true?! You’re such an idiot.” Catra pulled Adora into a tight embrace, partly out of the relief that she seemed to be okay but partly to check for herself that this moment was, in fact, real. Adora was a solid being in Catra’s arms. She could feel her heart beating, her breath tickling the hair on her neck. Yes. Catra was assured, this was definitely real.

“Yeah, I know.” Adora hugged Catra tighter and they stayed, content in each others arms for a peaceful moment until they both burst out laughing at the sound of Bow’s impatient voice, at least an octave higher than normal, bellowing at them from the end of the outside hallway.

“We don’t have to go to this thing you know. Now that the ball is happening every year instead of once a decade we won’t have long to wait until the next one. I can talk to Scorpia, she’ll understand.” Catra pulled out of their embrace just far enough to be able to study Adora’s face, searching for any remnants of the pain she had seen there just moments before. “I know it's almost been a year since we defeated Prime but you went through more than anyone. The entire universe is still recovering, people understand that you are too.”

“No, honestly I’m fine. It was just a memory that caught me off guard. So many things happened that are still a blur to me, moments like that are bound to resurface from time to time but they’ll ease up. I promise, I’m fine. I want to go to the Ball. I want to dance with you again but you know, as friends not enemies this time.” Adora reached up to brush Catra’s hair behind her ear and kissed her on the cheek.

“Oh so we’re just friends are we?” Catra grinned mischievously, pushing their palms together in front of them and interlocking their fingers, “That hurts, Princess…”

“You know what I mean!” Adora rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and began to pull away, intending to make a move to leave for the Ball, when Catra pulled her back and into a deep kiss. All of the hurt and pain that Adora had just been forced to re-live through her memory of Horde Prime and the torture of his virus washed away the instant Catra’s lips met hers. All Adora was left with was the memory of a wish, longed for in her darkest moment. A wish, which against all the odds, somehow came true. A wish that was no longer a figment of her imagination but a fixture in her reality. She couldn’t wait to find out what happens next.

* * *

“Finally!” Bow yelled out, throwing his arms above his head dramatically as he caught sight of Catra and Adora stepping out onto the landing above the Grand Hall. As the couple descended the grand staircase, arms linked and fingers woven together, Bow tapped his foot impatiently, whilst Glimmer beamed up at the sight of them. Adora’s flawless white dress danced with shimmering kaleidoscopes of colour, as the pair passed through the beams of Etherian daylight, flooding through the hall’s stained glass windows. The dress was simple, feminine and effortlessly elegant, embellished with a gold neckline and a short train featuring a small, gold motif. On her head she wore a modest gold band, with a small red garnet set into the centre and her long blonde hair tumbled freely around her face and over her shoulders.

Catra’s outfit complimented Adora’s, whilst staying true to her own more casual style. The jacket, still hanging perfectly from her left shoulder, matched the minimalist design of Adora’s dress, being all white save for a golden trim on the sleeve cuffs and gold embroidered shoulders. Underneath the jacket she wore a tan coloured silk shirt, tucked neatly into a pair of high waisted brown trousers. Since coming to live permanently in Brightmoon, a kingdom covered with lush grasslands, glades and meadows Catra had found little need for shoes, feeling most comfortable getting around barefoot. However, she guessed that for those attending a royal event, footwear was probably advised and so she had bought a new pair of knee-high boots for the occasion. Neither Adora or Catra were ones for over-accessorising, probably as a result of growing up as orphans in The Horde, living on ration bars and in shared dormitories, making do with only the bare essentials. Whilst Adora had chosen the golden head band, Catra wore no jewellery, save for one sentimental piece that she kept with her at all times - Adora’s golden belt buckle, moulded into the shape of a wing, which Catra had turned into a brooch. Adora had given it to her on their first night together after the war against Horde Prime had ended. “I’m never leaving you again,” she had whispered against Catra’s lips in the dark, “I’m always going to stay. But for the times when we have to be apart, you can look at this and know that every second I’m away from you, I’m thinking of you and longing to come back to you.” Catra touched the brooch, pinned against her heart, with her free hand as she stepped down from the last of the stairs, Adora by her side, just like she’d promised she would always be.

“You both look amazing!” Glimmer squealed through her beaming smile. “Of course, you would look even more amazing if you had let me brush your-”

“Glimmer,” Bow warned, “Do not start that again. We can’t be late to this ball, you know how nervous Scorpia is for it to be a success. Besides, I actually think Catra’s hair looks great just the way it is. It’s very… her.” Catra rolled her eyes at Bow’s almost-compliment. At least he hadn’t called her cute.

“Now come on, let's get to the ball! If we teleport now we’ll only be…” Bow looked down at the watch on his wrist, a piece of tech that undoubtedly did much more than just tell the time, “… eighteen minutes and twenty-six seconds late.”

“You know, just because the invite says the ball starts at six, doesn’t mean we actually have to be there _exactly_ at six. Didn’t anyone ever tell you about being fashionably late?” Catra teased, as the four friends all huddled together around Glimmer, ready for her to teleport them to Scorpia’s palace.

“ _Glimmer”_ Bow whined, dragging out her name in exasperation and ignoring Catra’s comment.

“Okay, okay, we’re going, we’re going!” Glimmer laughed briefly before surrounding the group with magical energy and focussing on the image of the entranceway to Scorpia’s palace in her mind. With a flash of lilac light and the echoing sound of etherial chimes, the group vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Brightmoon’s Grand Hall peaceful and empty, save for the guards stationed at either side of the towering front doors.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I hope you enjoy Chapter Two. 
> 
> I have to say I really enjoyed imagining what Scorpia's Palace might look like. I definitely had a picture of the Red Keep from Game of Thrones in my mind. I will post some images of my inspirations for this chapter on my Instagram @Pendlemoth.
> 
> This was very much another scene setting and character exploration chapter but for all the hopeless romantics out there, don't fear, I have some sexy scenes planned for the next chapter so bear with me!
> 
> Thanks for everyone who has left kudos on Chapter One. I wasn't expecting to enjoy doing this as much as I am and your approval has helped boost the motivation levels.
> 
> Take care and enjoy! x

“Woah.” Catra whispered, incredulous. She had learnt that keeping her eyes closed whilst travelling with Glimmer greatly reduced her teleport-sickness but once she opened them and they adjusted to the daylight, Catra had to repeat the process just to make sure she hadn’t passed out and started dreaming on the journey. The Fright Zone was unrecognisable. The landscape no longer resembled a post-apocalyptic waste, littered with the mechanical casualties of age-old battles between the Horde and the Rebellion and scarred with the craters of sonic bombs and laser canons. Instead, the ground was covered with wild grasses and flowers. The craters had filled naturally over time with crystal clear water, creating a multitude of tiny havens for wildlife to thrive in. The dull, brown smog that used to hang thick in the air had completely evaporated and instead, natural, golden sunlight bathed rolling hills and shallow valleys. Vines had crept over the ruins of demolished Horde buildings, their flowers bursting open in colourful bloom, like miniature fireworks. Catra could even see animals, wild deer and butterflies, frolicking around their new habitat, as she soaked in the view before her in disbelief.

“It’s amazing isn’t it.” Adora said, stepping alongside Catra to take in the view with her. It wasn’t a question. It was amazing. It was the first time Catra had been back to the Fright Zone since the war. Adora had visited it several times on her diplomatic missions with Glimmer and she had told Catra how different the place was now that Etheria’s magic had been set free, restoring the Fright Zone to its former glory. However, nothing could have prepared Catra for seeing the changes with her own eyes. She had been nervous about coming back here, the memories of her traumatic childhood and the guilt she still felt for the part she played as Force Captain in the Horde continued to weigh down on her. The thought of returning to the kingdom where all of the worst moments of her life had taken place was anxiety-inducing to say the least. But the Fright Zone she saw in front of her now was not the same one that she still dreamt about on restless nights, tossing and turning, unable to calm her sub-conscious until Adora wrapped her arms around her, moulding their bodies together protectively and whispering soothing sounds in her ear. The Fright Zone had changed, it had grown, just as Catra had herself.

“It’s… different.” Catra replied, her voice still little more than a whisper, as if she was talking more to herself than to Adora.

“You okay? Do you need a minute before we go in?” Adora took a step forward and moved in front of Catra so she could look directly at her girlfriend, challenging her to try to hide how she was truly feeling on the face that Adora could read like an open book.

Catra closed her eyes once more, swallowed and took a deep, controlled breath. She opened her eyes, looking straight into Adora’s and answered, defiantly, “No, I’m fine, we can head in. I know you told me how much everything had changed but I wasn’t quite prepared for seeing it for myself. But it’s good, the changes are good, it feels like I’m somewhere new, a place where I don’t have any history. It feels like a fresh start.”

“Okay… but are you sure? I can wait outside here with you if you want or we could go for a walk or we could-”

“Adora, stop!” Catra cut her off, smiling lovingly at her constant need to make everything perfect. “I honestly feel so much better about this whole thing now that we’re actually here. The not-knowing was the hardest part but now I know what it’s like here, I’m ready to do this. Anyway, I think if we were to wait any longer, Arrow Boy might trip a switch.” Catra turned to wink at Bow, who looked as if he was standing barefoot on hot coals, vibrating with impatience for them to make their way into the palace.

“I just think it's polite to arrive at an event at the time you were asked to arrive at the event! What is so wrong with that?!” Bow snapped.

“Nothing is wrong with that, my love.” Glimmer chuckled as she looped her arm under his. “Catra’s just trying to wind you up, you know how she is.” Catra stuck her tongue out at Bow before taking Adora’s hand and dragging her in a sudden sprint towards the palace.

“Come on, Bow, we’re gonna get there before you and you’re gonna be the late one!” She threw her head back in a devious laugh, whilst Adora quickly adjusted to the new speed, the competitive streak inside her immediately kicking into auto-pilot.

Bow let out a frustrated scream and bolted after his traitorous friends, completely forgetting about Glimmer in his determination to beat Catra to the palace. Unperturbed, Glimmer rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, teleporting before she had fully emptied her lungs. Every time this happened they always seemed to forget one thing… the Queen of Brightmoon always won.

* * *

“Names please.” Asked a stuffy looking doorman at the entrance, directing his question towards Glimmer, clearly unamused by her breathless, sweaty and now somewhat dishevelled companions.

“Queen Glimmer of Brightmoon.” She announced, lifting her chin a little as she spoke. “And this is my fiancé, Bow; my best friend, Adora, although she may be down on your list as She-Ra, you know, the legendary warrior who saved the universe…” Glimmer waited for a reaction from the man. She didn’t get one. His eyes stayed focussed on the scroll in front of him, scanning the guest list for their names. Glimmer continued, with slightly less confidence than before, “Okay… and this is-”

“CATRA!” A booming voice bellowed, as a flash of red bowled down the entrance steps and enveloped Catra in a crushing embrace.

“Hey, Scorpia.” Catra gasped out as she was lifted off the ground by her enthusiastic friend. Not long ago, Catra would have struggled to remove herself from the hug, complaining about Scorpia’s lack of respect for personal space but now she returned the affection willingly, wrapping her arms around Scorpia’s torso and laughing along with her. Adora watched the reunited pair with warmth in her heart and pride swelling in her chest. Catra had grown so much this past year. She had worked so hard on dismantling the barriers she had built around her heart and opening herself up to relationships with people who were different from her. After all, Adora thought to herself, there is no one like her. She’s one of a kind. She’s _my_ one of a kind.

“Uh-hem!” The doorman cleared his throat deliberately, turning the group’s attention back on himself. “Your Majesty,” he bowed his head towards Scorpia, “with respect it is my job to greet the guests and send them inside to you. There is no need for you to trouble yourself out here. The system I have organised is working quite well I assure you.”

“Oh don’t worry about me, Hektor. I was just craving a little fresh air, it really is a beautiful day isn’t it guys?!” The group all echoed their agreement.

“Hmmph.” Hektor exhaled a sharp blast of air through his nose before striking the new arrivals’ names from his list with an exaggerated and unnecessary, Adora thought, amount of scratching from his quill. “Very well,” he said sharply, “you are all checked in. Enjoy the ball. There are bathrooms to the left of the Grand Hall, in case any of you might want to tidy yourselves up before entering the event.” He addressed this last part pointedly at Bow, Adora and Catra, blatantly disapproving of their athletic arrival.

“Are you kidding?! They all look incredible!” Scorpia exclaimed as she stepped in-between Catra and Adora, throwing her arms over their shoulders and leading them back up the steps towards the entrance to her palace. “Come on guys, I can’t wait to show you what I’ve done to the place. Thanks, Hector, see ya in a bit!”

Hektor offered a single curt nod before turning his attention to the arrival of a new group of guests, who were, to his approval, approaching with much more decorum than the previous individuals.

* * *

Scorpia really had done a lot to the place. Her palace had been built over the ruins of the Horde Headquarters and centred around the Black Garnet, Scorpia’s runestone, which glowed and buzzed, standing pride of place in the middle of the palace’s central courtyard. The courtyard, which was the first area one reached when emerging from the entrance hall, was a large, open-air circular space, with benches, water fountains and a large rockery, filled with cacti and succulents, encircling the Black Garnet. The plants were Perfuma’s touch. Although she didn’t live with Scorpia permanently (she had her own kingdom of Plumeria to rule), Perfuma had been granted creative reign over all of the flora embellishments throughout the palace and desert plants were well matched alongside the traditional architecture of Scorpia’s _Scorpioni_ culture and the deep red sandstone with which the palace had been built. Multiple hallways branched off from the courtyard in all directions, leading to dining rooms, council chambers and staff quarters. Directly across the courtyard from the entrance hall were a pair of towering, ornate wooden doors, carved like a tapestry with scenes of the war against Horde Prime, the victory of the Rebellion and the restoration of magic to the Fright Zone and Etheria. Beyond these doors lay the Grand Hall and Scorpia’s first time hosting a major event as the rightful ruler of her kingdom.

“So, how are you feeling?” Bow asked Scorpia, as they strolled across the courtyard’s cobbled stone path towards the Grand Hall.

“Um, I’m okay… a little nervous. Well, a lot nervous really. I just _really_ want everyone to have a good time. I think I’ve ordered enough food and the band are here for the whole night so people can dance until they drop if they want to! I’m pretty sure I haven’t forgotten to invite anyone. Oh gosh, if I have forgotten anyone I’m going to feel so, _so_ bad!” Scorpia buried her face in her pincers, muffling a continued list of things she’d potentially forgotten to do. Her friends knew her well enough by now to be united in their certainty that Scorpia would have organised every aspect of the evening to utter perfection. She was just too thoughtful to do anything but throw the perfect party.

“Cut it out, Scorpia!” Catra coaxed, as she pulled Scorpia’s pincers down from her face to rest them at her sides. “This ball is going to be great, you’re going to be great. Just look at you! Look how… great you look!” Compliments still didn’t roll naturally off of Catra’s tongue, apart from those that she whispered to Adora when they were alone or at least out of earshot. She wished she could have thought of a word other than ‘great’, something more personal perhaps but it wasn’t necessary, Scorpia understood the sentiment and Catra’s well-intentioned words brightened her mood immediately.

“I know, I know. I’m just doubting myself because I’m so nervous. I’ve never hosted this many people before. I mean, there were loads of people here for my coronation but that whole thing was out of my hands, the council and you guys organised all of that. This time I’m responsible. It’s just a lot of pressure for a gal to handle, you know?”

“I know exactly how you’re feeling.” Glimmer offered. “These things are a lot of pressure but they are also a lot of fun! Everything has been organised, the party has started. All you really have to do now is sit back and enjoy it.”

Scorpia looked up into the sky above the courtyard and shook out her arms, repeating Glimmer’s advice like a mantra, “Sit back and enjoy it, sit back and enjoy it, sit back and enjoy it…” The group watched patiently, recognising the technique that Scorpia used regularly to help focus her mind and relieve her anxieties. Finally, after ten seconds or so of chanting to herself, Scorpia stilled her arms and fell silent, taking in a deep, steady breath through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. “Let’s do this.” She said, determination and excitement crackling behind her eyes, like the magical energy of the Black Garnet to which she was connected.

* * *

A pair of guards, dressed in highly polished ceremonial armour and floor-length red cloaks opened the doors to the Grand Hall ahead of the princess and her guests. Scorpia headed the group, the train of her black satin dress gliding behind her noiselessly across the smooth stone floor. Glimmer and Bow followed next, whilst Adora and Catra entered last. To Bow’s dismay and Catra’s delight, the hall was already filled with a good number of guests, who had all begun to mingle with each other, catching up with old friends and making small talk with new ones. Upon Scorpia’s re-entry to the ball, everyone turned to look at her and the new arrivals, who caused a stir of gasps and excited conversation to pass around the room. After all, these were the leaders of the Rebellion and She-Ra was the saviour of every person present. Even though Adora wasn’t in her warrior form, the foursome were far from inconspicuous.

“Why have you got to be so awe inspiring all the time.” Catra teased, nudging Adora and stroking the back of her hand with her thumb. There was once a time when Adora had been flattered by the attention she attracted as She-Ra but after her inflated ego had caused her to fall victim to a trap in Elberon, Adora had become much more mindful of her relationship with She-Ra and a little less fond of the attention that she garnered. Catra knew this and that all of the attention in the room falling on Adora made her uneasy, so her comment, which to a stranger might have sounded like a light-hearted jest between partners, was really a statement of reassurance and acknowledgment of Adora’s feelings. Catra was letting her know that she was there for her, to support her and Adora was immensely grateful, adding it to the list she was keeping in her head of things she had to thank Catra for in private later.

“I can’t help it, it’s just this natural ability I have.” Adora teased back, squeezing Catra’s hand, letting her know she had understood the true meaning behind her words.

“You want a drink?” Catra asked. “The invite said it was an open bar. It will help to settle both of our nerves.”

“Yeah that actually sounds really good. Nothing too strong though, I will actually have to talk to these people tonight and I can’t be slurring my words this early on.”

“Your wish is my command, princess.” Catra bowed, raising Adora’s hand to meet her lips and kissing it softly, before dropping it gently back to her side and walking off, with a definite skip in her step, to locate the bar. It was a cheesy move and Adora knew Catra only performed it as a joke but it still sent butterflies dancing around her stomach.

“Awww you guys look so happy together!” Cooed Scorpia, who had caught sight of Catra’s ridiculously chivalrous kiss from the corner of her eye.

Adora blushed, unable to keep the smile from her face as she nodded her head, “yeah, we are. I mean, I am, I can’t speak for Catra but… yeah we are. How’s Perfuma?”

“She’s great, she’s already here somewhere. She’s probably checking on all the flower arrangements, you know what she’s like!”

“Oh good, I can’t wait to see her. Has she been here long?”

“Yeah, she’s been here for a few weeks, helping me to organise the final touches of this thing.” Scorpia raised her pincers in the air, gesturing to the event taking place around them. “I couldn’t have done it without her. She has to head back to Plumeria in a few days though, she’s hosting the Rosebud Drum Circle this month. I’ll probably go with her and stay there for a bit. It will be nice to unwind after all these months of planning!”

“Here we go!” Catra said, returning with two crystal tumbler glasses in her hands, one of which she held out for Adora to take, “Erelandian blueberry punch. Cheers!” The couple touched their glasses together with a bright ‘clink’. Catra took a sip, registering Scorpia’s presence as she did so. “Scorpia, I’m so sorry, I thought you had gone to do the rounds with your guests. Can I get you a drink?”

“It’s okay, Wildcat, I’m alright for now. But thanks for asking. I’m actually going to go and find Perfuma, the sight of you two love birds together has got me missing my, Petal. I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit.” And with that, Scorpia disappeared into the growing crowd, leaving Adora and Catra to giggle over Scorpia’s pet name for her girlfriend.

“Petal? Seriously?” Catra shook her head, laughing but really she wasn’t all that surprised. She was pretty sure that Scorpia thought of a nickname for a person before she even considered learning their real name.

“Maybe I should give you a cutsie nickname… Kitten?” Adora suggested, a cheeky glint sparkling in the corners of her bluebell eyes.

“Eurgh, no.” Catra shuddered, “That’s what Double Trouble used to call me. I know they pulled through for the Rebellion in the end but I would rather not be reminded about that time of my life.”

“Okay, so not, Kitten. Kitty cat? Purr princess? Fluff bug?”

“Stop it!” Catra laughed, covering Adora’s mouth with her free hand. “We don’t need nicknames… not cutsie, public ones anyway. I much prefer the names you call me when we’re alone.” She stepped in closer to Adora, her hand moving from her girlfriend’s mouth to coil a lock of her blonde hair delicately around her index finger. The smirk on Adora’s face fell away, as her heart began to pound in her chest, feeling as though it was trying to escape her body through her throat. She would be embarrassed at how quickly Catra was able to turn the tables on her if she didn’t love the feeling of it so much.

“Cat got your tongue, Adora?” Catra’s tone dropped, as she closed the gap between them and gave Adora a brief, yet passionate kiss. The feelings of longing, of wanting, behind the kiss were tangible and Adora chased Catra’s lips as she pulled away, not wanting the moment to end so soon. Catra smiled lovingly at her girlfriend, freeing the lock of Adora’s hair and brushing the back of her hand down her face, stopping to rest the tips of her fingers against Adora’s lips. “Later.” Catra whispered.

“Promise?” Adora whispered back.

“I promise.”

* * *

Just as everyone had expected, Scorpia’s first Princess Ball was a resounding success. She performed all of the traditional ceremonial requirements with perfect grace and was the consummate hostess to her guests. She made time to talk to everyone individually, the newfound confidence that she had gained since finding her true home and real friendship amongst the princesses, radiated out from her, putting everyone she came into contact with at ease.

The food was delicious, a vast array of dishes from all over Etheria, the supply of which never seemed to end. Glasses were never left less than half full, being constantly topped up by waiters dressed in the red and copper colours of Scorpia’s royal household. The live band played tirelessly through the night, finishing their own set list of songs and then taking requests from the guests. There didn’t seem to be any song or any style they did not know how to play and they kept the energy in the Grand Hall fully charged for the entire night.

All of the princesses arrived from their various kingdoms, shortly after Bow, Glimmer, Adora and Catra had themselves. Entrapta immediately dragged Catra away to show her a new robot she had designed, which was able to make her favourite tiny foods on demand. Mermista and Sea Hawk arrived bickering with each other over how Sea Hawk had sailed them needlessly through a storm, determined to stick to the route, which he was certain would have been a successful shortcut if they hadn’t been blown off course by the howling gales. It took them less than ten minutes to forget the whole thing before heading over to the dance floor arm in arm, along with Scorpia and Perfuma who had finally finished her spot checks on the Grand Hall’s flower arrangements. Frosta arrived with Spinnerella and Netossa and made a beeline for Glimmer as soon as she spotted her. She had experienced a growth spurt in the past year and was almost as tall as Glimmer herself now. The pair laughed as they hugged each other tightly, as happy to be reunited as long-lost sisters.

It was a glorious night and a welcome reunion. Many of the princesses had not seen each other since the end of the war, as they had all been busy banishing the last of the Horde sympathisers from their lands and in many cases rebuilding their war-torn kingdoms. Adora and Glimmer had seen the princesses the most over the past year, travelling together to each kingdom as diplomats, to sit on the individual councils and offer what help and advice they could on how Etheria was to move forward in its new, peaceful and magical age.

As the night grew later and the guests gradually began to say their goodbyes and give their thanks to Scorpia before making their journeys back to their respective homes, the princesses ended up being the last one’s standing. Even after the band packed up their instruments and left the stage, the princesses and their plus-ones continued to laugh and dance all together in the centre of the Grand Hall, relishing the time they could spend together without feeling the heaviness of war hanging over them. Eventually, Scorpia requested that cushions and blankets be gathered from around the palace and brought to the Grand Hall and the group of friends made themselves comfortable in a large circle on the floor, swapping stories of what they had all been up to since they had last seen each other and reminiscing about their time spent in the Rebellion. Frosta was the first to drop off to sleep, resting her head against Glimmer’s shoulder and snoring softly to the amusement of her friends. Spinnerella and Netossa took this as a sign that it was time for them to leave, gently waking Frosta from her slumber, saying their goodbyes and making their exit. Mermista and Sea Hawk had decided they would sail back home to Selenius in the morning but that they would spend the night in the comfort of their quarters on their royal ship. No one had seen Entrapta since Scorpia had told her about the laboratory tower that she had built on the west wing of the palace. The group were unanimously confident that that would be where Entrapta was spending the rest of her night and probably the majority of the next day.

The Best Friend Squad had been invited to stay in the palace overnight, so that they could all spend more time catching up together the next day, under more informal conditions. Scorpia and Perfuma guided their friends towards their guest rooms on the first floor, climbing the Grand Staircase onto a large, semi-circular balcony that overlooked the hall below. Two guards stood at the back of the balcony, either side of a corridor that stretched out behind them, seemingly endlessly, illuminated with light sconces powered by electricity drawn from the Black Garnet. One side of the corridor was lined with alcoves, enclosing large clear glass windows, which looked onto the palace gardens below and out towards the Whispering Woods in the distance. The other was lined with dark-stained wooden doors, each bearing a polished brass handle. Scorpia and Perfuma stopped at the third door along the corridor.

“Alrighty. Bow and Glimmer, this room here is yours and then Catra and Adora, you guys are just next door.” Scorpia pointed a little further along the corridor, in the direction of the fourth door down. “You saw the guards at the end of the hall? You just let them know if there’s anything that you need and they’ll be happy to oblige. Oh and no need to rush up in the morning. Whenever you’re ready just make your way back down to the Grand Hall and someone will meet you and take you to breakfast from there. Does that all sound okay?”

“That sounds perfect, thanks Scorpia.” Bow managed to get his words out just as an uncontrollable yawn escaped his body and Glimmer chuckled, taking her fiancé’s arm just in case he fell asleep on the spot.

“I think that’s our cue to say goodnight, guys.” She smiled at her friends and stepped towards their guest room. Perfuma stepped forward as well, turning the brass handle and opening the door so that Glimmer, still supporting Bow, could pass through more easily.

“Thanks, Perfuma.” Glimmer whispered over her shoulder, “Night everyone.” Scorpia, Catra and Adora waved to the couple, as Perfuma closed the door gently behind them.

“You guys okay?” Scorpia turned her attention to Catra and Adora.

“Yeah we’re great, thanks for putting us up, Scorpia and thank you for an amazing night. You really smashed it!” Catra replied, giving Scorpia a friendly punch on her shoulder.

“Honestly, Scorpia, we’ve had a fantastic time, thank you.” Adora echoed Catra’s gratitude.

“Ah well, I couldn’t have pulled it off without this one.” Scorpia beamed at Perfuma, wrapping her arm around her flower princess’ waist and pulling her in close.

“Of course you could have,” Perfuma protested affectionately, “you can do anything that you set your mind to. But I was more than happy to help.”

“Well, I’m just glad everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!” Scorpia exclaimed, the weight from the pressure of the evening visibly falling away from her shoulders. “Phew but now I really am exhausted! We’ll say goodnight to you both and remember, the guards are just down the hall if you need anything.” The couples all hugged each other before splitting off in opposite directions, Adora and Catra towards their guest room and Scorpia and Perfuma back towards the Grand Staircase to ascend to their private floor of the palace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys,
> 
> I'll confess something straight off the bat. I was going to tease you all with this chapter. I was going to move on after Adora says "close the window." And leave you with some implied sexual content... But honestly, I don't think its ever too soon for romance! So here you have almost 3000 words of Catradora love.
> 
> As usual I'll be posting some of the inspirational material behind this chapter on my Instagram @pendlemoth If you're one of the people that have started following me on there then, hey! 
> 
> Thanks guys, enjoy and take care x

Adora and Catra stepped into the solitude of their guest room, bathed dimly in silver moonlight, which crept through the sheer curtains covering the windows. The windows, large solid panes set within dark wooden frames had been kept ajar, allowing a light breeze to roll into the room, cooling it down to a refreshing temperature. Adora flicked the switch on a metallic pad, glinting on the wall to her left and with a brief crackle a large circular lantern hanging from the ceiling in the centre of the room flickered to life. The light that it produced wasn’t bright, it was muted but warm, casting an auburn hue over the room and an orange glow across the queen-sized bed positioned directly below it. The room was spacious and neutral in personality, filled only with essential furniture; two modest dressers either side of the bed along with a wooden chest at the end of it; one generous sized wardrobe and two high backed arm chairs facing outward towards the windows. The dressers each had a lamp and a mirror set on top of them and the plain, whitewashed walls were decorated only with a few brightly coloured paintings, which depicted scenes of the Fright Zone’s rejuvenated landscape.

Adora sighed, throwing herself spread eagled onto her back across the bed, only mildly exaggerating the genuine exhaustion that she felt in her body after the long day. Catra smiled at the sight and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Adora, stretching to take off her boots, something she’d been dreaming of doing since the moment she had put them on back in Brightmoon.

“Mmmm me too, please.” Adora hinted, wiggling her own ankle-high, sandal-covered feet out from beneath the hem of her dress.

“Hmmm if I must,” Catra groaned, tongue-in-cheek, kicking her boots off across the stone floor before kneeling down on the woven rug in front of Adora’s long, muscular legs, “But I’m not doing this because I like you.” She purred.

“Sure, babe.” Adora whispered, sighing as Catra ran her hands lightly up one leg and then the other, pushing the folds of her dress up over her thighs to her waist as she went and lightly grazing Adora’s flawless, ivory skin with her claws on the way back down. Catra still kept her claws long but regularly filed down the points to a smooth rounded shape, having no need for them to be used as weapons anymore. As her hands returned to Adora’s feet, Catra began to work on the small, golden buckles holding the sandals in place, whilst simultaneously leaning forwards to kiss the inside of her girlfriend’s newly exposed thigh. The left sandal slipped off. She moved her hands across to work on the right, her mouth mirroring the movement to give attention to Adora’s neglected thigh. The other sandal slipped off. Adora groaned, a husky sound emerging from deep inside her chest, the result of the relief she felt from being able to stretch out her feet after hours of standing on them, mixed with the pleasure she was experiencing from the soft touch of Catra’s lips on her sensitive skin.

Catra stopped what she was doing to look up, across Adora’s body, taking in the sight of her lover, as she lost herself to the feelings of her nerve endings dancing underneath the skin where Catra had touched her. Every time. She took Catra’s breath away every. Single. Time.

“What?” Adora murmured, the loss of contact between her skin and Catra’s lips pulling her from her ecstasy, “Why have you stopped? Don’t stop.”

Catra smiled, giddy with the love that was burning in her chest, a constant flame that spread like wildfire whenever Adora expressed what she wanted. Adora’s instruction was like oxygen to the flame, fuelling Catra’s desire and igniting her passion. “Because…” she said, breathing deliberately, composing herself just long enough to finish her thought, “because if we’re going to carry on I think we had better close the windows, just in case Sparkles and Arrow Boy haven’t closed theirs.”

Adora pursed her lips together, attempting to smother an embarrassed smile, as realisation dawned, “Ohhh… Was I being loud?” She asked, propping herself up onto her elbows to look down at Catra who had leant forwards to rest across the smooth skin of Adora’s exposed lap.

“No not really but I don’t want you to feel like you can’t make noise. I want to hear you.” She pushed her weight into Adora’s lap, rising from her position on the floor, to crawl up Adora’s body until they lay flush against each other, Catra’s arms holding her upright on either side of Adora’s head. “I want you to tell me what you want, princess.” Catra whispered into Adora’s ear, deliberately making contact against the sensitive area with her lips and rejoicing when she felt Adora’s body react with a shudder.

“Catra…” Adora breathed her girlfriend’s name as Catra pulled her earlobe between her teeth.

“Mmmm hmmm?” Catra responded, not letting go of the sensitive flesh.

“Close the window.”

* * *

Adora was the first to wake up, pulled reluctantly from her slumber by the warmth of the morning sun, burning a thin slither across her face, as it broke through a gap in the curtains. She rolled over, away from the light of the day that she wasn’t yet ready to face and nuzzled herself into the sanctuary of Catra’s chest, perfectly warm, rising and falling gently with her every peaceful breath. The movement half-roused Catra, who mumbled contentedly at Adora’s new position, wrapping her exposed arm around the back of Adora’s head and stroking her golden hair absent-mindedly.

The couple did not know how long they’d drifted back to sleep for but when they awakened once more it was to noises of the palace bustling with life in the rooms and corridors around them. They could hear brooms sweeping and mop buckets clanging, maids giggling and singing with each other, to help break the monotony of their morning duties and guards greeting one another, curt and official, as they marched along the hallways towards their designated posts for the day.

Catra rolled onto her back, languidly stretching her entire body out from fingertips to toes, accompanying the action with an equally prolonged groan of satisfaction. Adora, eyes still heavy-lidded with sleep, smiled softly at the scene, reaching her arm out to rest it across Catra’s bare stomach. “How did you sleep?” Adora asked, unmoving and bashful, unwilling to make eye contact with the woman she had shared everything so intimately with just hours before.

“How did _you_ sleep?” Catra replied, grinning as she rolled over to face Adora.

“Really well.” Adora closed her eyes and smiled, unable to hide the blush surfacing on her face, as memories of the night they had just spent together flashed through her mind in perfect clarity.

“Me too.” Catra said, leaning in to kiss Adora’s heat flushed cheek and sweeping her flyaway bed-hair over her shoulder, where it settled, shimmering, white-gold in the morning light. Adora peeked one eye open, searching Catra’s face for any signs that she might be telling a lie. Even after all this time, even after Catra was the first one to finally declare the love she had felt for Adora since they were children, a love that had been reciprocated but misunderstood for decades, Adora sometimes still felt an irrational need for reassurance that Catra’s feelings were true. After a childhood of hardship, followed by years of pressure and adversity and war, believing that something so purely _good_ could happen to her without incurring some sort of debt was still a hard pill to swallow. Nevertheless. Here they were, together. _Alive_ and together. Now that was something to be celebrated, Adora told herself, not doubted.

“What could you possibly be thinking about right now, Adora? You’ve literally, only just woken up.” Catra goaded, knowing the way her mind worked all too well.

“Honestly, I was just thinking about how happy I am.” Adora replied, the realisation of the fact washing over her, a tsunami of emotion that cut through everything she had ever felt up until this moment in space and time. “I mean, there was some other stuff too…” she admitted, “but mostly, truly, I was thinking about how happy I am to be here, right now, in this moment with you. After everything we’ve been through together, everything we’ve done to each other for better or for worse, it’s brought us here and I’m so thankful to be here with you.” Tears welled in Adora’s eyes but they were happy tears that she laughed through as they overflowed, rolling down her cheeks. Catra laughed with her, overcome by emotion and for once, lost for words. She pulled Adora against her, kissing her deeply, tasting the salt from her tears in the corners of her mouth. The kiss quickly became more passionate, neither woman wanting to be the first to break for air. Catra surrendered first, inhaling deeply as she broke away but only relinquishing contact for the mere seconds it took for her to relocate her ministrations to Adora’s neck.

“We’ll be late…“ Catra reached a particularly sensitive spot below Adora’s ear, causing her to lose her train of thought and temporarily, all ability to speak actual words, “… for breakfast.” Adora finished, regaining just enough control of her faculties to complete the utterance.

“Please, princess. We have the rest of our lives to eat countless breakfasts. This exact moment will only happen once. Let us just be here, now.”

“But won’t the others-“

“Adora.” Catra cut her off. “What do you want?”

“I wan’t you.” Adora breathed against Catra’s lips. “I always have.” She smiled softly, remembering the first time those words had finally been spoken between them under much more perilous circumstances.

“I always will.” Catra responded, rolling them both over so that she was lying beneath Adora, reaching up to cradle her face between her palms and brush the last of her tears away from her cheeks with her thumbs.

Encouraged and intoxicated by everything she was experiencing, Adora began to move on instinct, driven by an animalistic need to bring Catra as much pleasure as was humanly possible. She straddled her legs either side of Catra’s thighs and ran her thumbs gently across the underside of her breasts, before moving them just high enough to graze her nipples, already hard and highly sensitised. Catra arched her back in response, wordlessly asking for more. More sensations. More Adora. Realising what Catra was asking for but also driven by her own desires, Adora leant down to take Catra’s left nipple into her mouth, sucking on it sinfully for a few moments before taking it gently between her teeth, grazing it as she allowed it to slip from her grasp and then repeating the process on the other breast.

“Adora.” Catra whispered, voiceless with ecstasy. “That’s perfect. Don’t stop.”

Adora had absolutely no intention of stopping. She wished she could do this for every second of every day for the rest of her life. She didn’t need water or food to survive, she told herself. She didn’t need sunlight or fresh air. All she needed was Catra and the warmth of the fire that burned eternally between them. There was no such thing as time anymore. Neither the past or future existed. Only the present. Only Adora and only Catra, the pairing that had always been meant to be. The two women were each the opposite pole of a magnet, even after the period of time when they had been repelled apart, they had still managed to find their way back together. Now, here they were, magnets reunited, bonded together with a force so strong that nothing would be able to tear them apart from each other again willingly.

Adora changed position to lay flush against Catra’s side, reaching her hand down between her lover’s thighs so she could work on relieving the immense pressure that she knew was pulsing there. Catra was burning with heat and slick to the touch, causing Adora to moan in appreciation, almost as intensely as Catra did herself when Adora’s fingers glided over her crotch, cupping it gently before repeating the process, her fingers sinking a little deeper and further out of sight every time. Catra was lost to the experience, her eyes closed, her mouth parted open and her arms stretched out, taut against the headboard of the bed, as she rolled her hips against Adora’s fingers and the heel of her hand. The storm was reaching its climax, the final and most powerful wave had almost reached the shore. Adora watched Catra’s face, mesmerised by every twitch of her features, every new frown that emerged on her forehead and every tiny crease that appeared at the corners of her eyes, as each new wave of pleasure hit her more forcefully than the last. It did not take long for the sensations taking over Catra’s entire body to overwhelm her and she soon cried Adora’s name out into the universe, her body arching up, rigid for a moment before collapsing back down onto the bed, twitching with aftershocks, sweat beading on her chest, like gemstones glinting across the walls of a cave. Her breathing was shallow and unsteady for a few moments before it regulated. She let her arms drop across her face, laughing, as if in disbelief that anything on Etheria could possibly make her feel _that_ much pleasure, without turning out to be a Horde mind-trick or at best, a dream.

“Absolutely do not cover your face right now, not when you’re looking so incredibly beautiful.” Adora exclaimed affectionately, reaching over and pushing Catra’s arms down so that she could take in the residual look of wonderment on her girlfriend’s flushed face. “You really are so beautiful, you know that?”, she reiterated, every word heavy with sincerity.

Catra laughed doubtfully, shaking her head to emphasise the presence of the mess of chocolate-brown hair that was spreading out in every possible direction across the pillow beneath it.

Adora pulled her fingers from Catra, who whimpered quietly at the loss, running her hand up the bed and through the sheets before wrapping one of Catra’s wild locks of hair around her fingers, all the while holding a steady and unwavering gaze between them. “You’re beautiful.” Adora repeated once again, this time the tone of her voice was lower and she enunciated every single word deliberately, leaving Catra with no possible doubts over the truthfulness of her words.

Catra smiled, surrendering to the compliment. “Come here.” She said, tilting her chin up slightly, adjusting her position so that Adora could lean over and kiss her. Adora needed no encouragement. “You’re amazing.” Catra said as they broke the kiss.

“Well, what can I say. I’m just so naturally talented at so many things!” Adora breathed out in mock exasperation, removing her hand from amongst Catra’s hair, to flick her own comedically over her shoulder, just like she’d watched the cliquey groups of Etheria’s elite do so often at the ball the night before, as they had boasted about something or other that would ultimately have been unimportant.

“Ha! Okay, I see the moment of romance didn’t last very long then. And you’re the one who’s always getting at _me_ to be more affectionate!” Catra teased, realising that during their talking and kissing she had regained the strength in her muscles and promptly made use of the discovery to roll Adora over onto her back, tickling her from her neck to her stomach as she thrashed, squealing beneath her.

“Catra! Stop it! Please! PLEASE!”

Reluctantly, Catra stopped her attack and leant down to kiss Adora, both of them laughing against each others lips. “If only I had known, all those times we met on the battlefield, that all I needed to do to take down the mighty She-Ra was order my soldiers to tickle her, I would have won the war so much quicker!” Catra grinned. It could still be a touchy subject between them, those years they spent as enemies. Yet, for the most part, they had both come to terms with that part of their lives and the individual roles they played during it. Catra could still barely look at the scars she had left across Adora’s back during the ruthless assault she had unleashed upon her aboard Horde Prime’s flagship, when Catra had been under the influence of one of his brainwashing chips. Adora had forgiven her, she knew Catra had not been in control of her actions but Catra still chastised herself for not fighting the control of the chip hard enough. In this particular moment, with the pair basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, the mood was light and Catra’s joke hit the right tone.

“ _You_ didn’t win the war,” Adora reminded her, “not the one that mattered anyway. The real war, the war against Horde Prime, _we_ won that war. You and I, at the end of all things.”

“I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” Catra smiled.

“Me neither.” Adora agreed.

Catra sighed. Adora closed her eyes and groaned reluctantly, understanding the meaning behind Catra’s exhalation. “I know I said we could skip breakfast and believe me, I am _so_ glad that we did…” Catra brushed her nose back and forth against Adora’s, “but I think it’s definitely going to come across as rude if we don’t spend at least some time with our hosts before we leave.”

“Exhaling audibly through her nose, Adora replied, “I guess you’re right, as much as that pains me to admit. Anyway, we can do all of this again in the comfort of our own bed tonight…” Adora licked her lips brazenly, leaving them shimmering with moisture.

“Well, we already skipped breakfast… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to skip dinner tonight as well.” Catra replied directly to Adora’s oh so inviting lips. Of course she was enjoying where this conversation was going but she was also increasingly mindful of her promise to catch up with Scorpia and Entrapta before the group had to return to Brightmoon. She pushed herself up onto her knees on the bed, pulling Adora up with her by her arms. They hugged each other briefly but lovingly before clambering off of the bed together and tiptoeing to the shower-room across the cold stone floor, one step closer to finally beginning the day.

* * *

Downstairs, the vast, circular breakfast room table lay empty, save for an elaborate floral centrepiece and two places, laid out and awaiting two of the palace guests visiting from Brightmoon. Every other seat around the table had been visited by members of the royal household and other guests at various points throughout the morning and their places had been tidied away, ahead of being replaced by the lunchtime set. A large clock in the centre of the back wall began to chime its eleventh hour when Adora and Catra could finally be heard making their approach. The women entered the room, hand in hand, bumping their shoulders together, laughing and exclaiming their surprise and joy to see that they had caught the remains of the breakfast service so late in the day. They were in their own private world, talking non-stop to each other about the previous night’s ball and their plans for the day, whilst heaping brightly coloured fruit salad into their bowls and spreading creamy butter across what used to be ‘freshly’ baked bread rolls. Once they had finished their breakfast, although it was ultimately a ‘brunch’ at this point in the day, the couple stacked their crockery and cutlery together neatly in their places and both finished their glasses of water before thanking the waiting staff, who ironically had had to do little more for the women _other_ than ‘wait’. They then headed back out of the breakfast room through the same door that they had entered through, bouncing off together in search of their friends.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys,
> 
> Sorry for the gaps between chapters becoming a bit longer, real life has been very full on but I've been escaping to this world whenever I can!
> 
> The drama is really starting to unfold in my head now and this chapter is very much a build up to that, culminating in the revelation at the end! This was a nice opportunity to give the characters some chill out time to interact with each other in peace before their lives are thrown into turmoil again!
> 
> As always, check out my instagram @pendlemoth for visuals & inspiration behind this chapter and my previous ones.
> 
> Thanks guys, enjoy and take care x

As Adora and Catra emerged through the towering doors of the palace’s entranceway they immediately spotted their friends, sat in a group together upon brightly coloured linen blankets on the lawn. Mermista and Seahawk had obviously decided to delay their voyage home to Salineas, as the couple were relaxing together with their friends, Seahawk reclining against Mermista, eyes closed, his head resting on her thigh and one leg crossed casually over his knee. Bow and Glimmer were sat side by side, their shoulders just touching, whilst Scorpia and Perfuma, positioned opposite, mirrored them. There was a small wicker basket in the centre of the group, filled with fresh fruit and sweet pastries that had been prepared by the palace kitchens and alongside it stood half a dozen clear glass bottles, moderately sized and filled with a rainbow of colourful beverages. As Adora and Catra approached, the group smiled and waved and inevitably teased the couple about the lateness of the hour.

“And what time do you call this?” Glimmer chirped, the tone of her voice far from accusatory but rather laced with warmth and friendly humour.

“I don’t really even care that much,” Mermista echoed Glimmer’s taunting remark, “but it would be, like, nice to see you for at least five minutes before we all have to leave again.”

“We’re sorry guys!” Adora stepped in, “we both overslept. The ball last night must have really taken it out of us.”

“Sure, the ball did that…” Bow drawled, raising his eyebrows suggestively towards Catra, who, as hard as she tried, couldn’t hide the glint of pride from creeping into the corners of her eyes. She’d spent her whole life feeling confused and ashamed by the intensity of her feelings for Adora and every second of that time had been wasted as a result. She wasn’t going to give the whole group any details of their night but she also wasn’t ashamed anymore. She slipped her arm around Adora’s shoulders and pulled her in close to kiss her on the temple.

“You’re all idiots.” Catra said, rolling her eyes before looking around the lawn, realising there was still one member of their group missing. “Hey, where’s Entrapta?”

“Ha!” Scorpia burst out. “I went to see her earlier this morning over in the laboratory tower to see if she wanted any breakfast. She asked for some tiny muffins and hot chocolate but barely looked up from… I’m not even going to pretend to know what she was doing! All I know is there was a telescope and _loads_ of pieces of paper scribbled with numbers and sketches and honestly… it all just hurt my head and she seemed super happy so I left her to it. You know how she is when she’s got data to collect.”

Catra turned to look at Adora, lowering her voice a little. “Babe, do you mind if I go and see Entrapta for a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, it would be nice to have a catch up, just the two of us. Plus, if _Scorpia_ wasn’t able to get her to come join the group then I’m the last hope! It’s not like she’s going to listen to Bow or Glimmer and I’m still not entirely sure she always remembers who Mermista and Seahawk even are.” Catra, grinned.

“You know we can all still hear you, right?” Bow piped up.

“Oh I know.” Catra’s grin remained plastered across her face. “Adora?”

“No of course I don’t mind!” Adora exclaimed, distractedly eying up the basket of food on the lawn. “You go and check up on Entrapta, she’ll talk to you, you guys have gotten so close this past year.” This was true. When she wasn’t in Dryll, Entrapta had spent a lot of time at Brightmoon since the end of the war, helping to co-ordinate restoration missions across the kingdoms that had been the worst hit by Horde Prime’s invasion. Catra had also taken on a leading role in this initiative, as part of her own personal atonement for the part she had played over the years of Hordak’s war against Etheria. As a result, the pair had frequently found themselves in each others company, purely by circumstance at first but as time went on they actively sought each other out when they weren’t due to be working together. Slowly but surely, the pair forged a new, true friendship, built upon a strong foundation of equality and a clean slate. Catra had greatly appreciated the company, especially when Adora could be away for weeks at a time on her diplomatic missions with Glimmer. Entrapta had appreciated Catra’s ability to keep up. Even though she still had to simplify her language sometimes, the time that Catra and Entrapta had already spent working together in The Horde had given Catra a significant education in science and technology. Being able to bounce her theories and ideas about tech off of someone was Entrapta’s equivalent of gossiping and so the relationship benefitted them both.

“Okay, I’ll go and see if I can convince her to step out of the lab and spend some time with all of us before we have to leave. Scorpia, how do I get to the west wing?” Catra looked back at the palace over her shoulder, assessing the options for herself, still not quite able to completely subdue the fiercely independent part of her personality.

“Head back up the steps to the front doors but instead of going into the palace turn right along the colonnade. Follow it around the building until you come to a set of steps leading down to a rose garden. Cut across the garden and you’ll see the tower. There’s a door at the bottom of it, which will lead you inside. The laboratory is at the top of the spiral staircase.”

“I’m sorry I offered to do this now.” Catra grumbled, the prospect of climbing a spiral staircase suddenly making her all the more aware of the fatigue in her limbs after her and Adora’s late night.

“I can just teleport you if you want?” Glimmer offered.

“No, no, Sparkles! I’ll make it, don’t worry.” There was no amount of sleep loss that would ever make Catra choose teleportation over walking on her own two feet.

* * *

It took Catra many minutes and several rest stops before she made it to the top of the laboratory tower but once she arrived at her destination, the view that she found awaiting her made the physical exertion more than worth it. The staircase emerged onto a circular, open-air balcony encompassing the laboratory, which one entered through a dark wooden door opposite. Before knocking on the door, Catra stepped to the edge of the balcony, leaning her head and shoulders out over the solid stone wall and savouring the feeling of the wind, deliciously cool at this high altitude, gusting all around her. If she had thought that the Fright Zone’s new appearance was overwhelming from the ground, nothing could have prepared her for seeing that same view stretched out in front of her for miles and miles in every direction from her vantage point on top of the laboratory tower. Her breath was taken away all over again by the sheer beauty of the place, which had once been her grey, toxic wasteland of a childhood home. From where she was standing, Catra could see a large lake in the distance, the midday sun glinting off of its surface with lush, towering trees dotted along its shoreline. Groups of smaller trees could be seen huddled together in tiny clusters across the landscape, their numbers becoming larger and more regular as they merged with the fringes of the Whispering Woods on the horizon. There were small garden birds fluttering around the tower, picking insects out of spiderwebs between the masonry and there were large birds of prey circling in the skies above, rising and falling with the thermals, their distinctive cries carrying for miles on the wind. Catra breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with as much cool air as possible before releasing it back out into the atmosphere.

“You need a new name…” she murmured, speaking to the kingdom spread out before her. “You’re not frightening any more. I’ll talk to Scorpia about it.” She said, patting the tower wall as she stood up straight and made her way over to the laboratory door. She formed a fist with her right hand and knocked her knuckles against the door three times. No response. She hadn’t expected one. She brought her fist up to the door again, this time banging firmly with the base of it. Still nothing. Catra banged her fist against the door again, this time accompanying the action with a loud, “ENTRAPTA!”. As she was met by silence for a third time and was becoming increasingly agitated, Catra raised both fists, preparing to hammer them down against the door just as it burst open before her and she found herself face-to-face with a mass of lilac hair and two glowing turquoise bug-eyes.

“CATRA! LOOK WHAT I’VE _FOUND_!” Entrapta screamed maniacally from behind her mask, wrapping her prehensile hair around one of Catra’s fists, still frozen in mid-air and dragging her excitedly from the bright light of the midday sun and into the shadow of the laboratory.

* * *

“So…” Glimmer nudged Adora’s shoulder as she sat down beside her. “How was last night?”

Adora looked around the group as she shuffled herself into a comfortable position, subtly assessing who was around to determine how much she would say about her and Catra’s night together. Adora was naturally far more open with her friends about her personal life than Catra. Even growing up, she forged friendships easily, whilst Catra invested most of her time in Adora or simply preferred to be alone if Adora wasn’t around. That being said, Adora was quite private when it came to their relationship. She was protective of it. They had been through so much pain and hardship before they were finally able to be together, Adora was more than happy to keep themselves strictly to themselves as much as possible. She confided in Glimmer and she knew that Catra confided in Bow but that was as far as it went for the both of them. In this instance, Adora settled for a suitably vague yet honest, “It was great. It was really nice to spend some time together and not have to think about anything else for a bit.” She still blushed as she said it, there were some things that she physically couldn’t hide. “How about you guys?” She said to the group, reaching into the basket for a pastry and attempting to shift the focus off of herself. “Did everyone enjoy the ball?”

“Ah-ha-ha…” Seahawk rolled his head across Mermista’s thigh to look at Adora and for the first time since arriving on the lawn she noticed how visibly pale the captain’s face was, compared with the sun burnished glow that usually radiated across his handsome cheeks. “It was a party -“ he paused, covering his mouth with his hand as he belched surreptitiously into it, “- for the ages.” He finished, rolling back into his former position and closing his eyes against the sun.

“Yeah, Seahawk and I may have both hit the open bar a little hard last night but only one of us can handle our rum.” Mermista rolled her eyes, seemingly annoyed at Seahawk’s fragile state but Adora knew the couple better than that, clocking the gentle circles that the water princess was rubbing soothingly into the captain’s shoulder.

“Oh I see…” Adora looked amused. “So some of us enjoyed the ball a little too much!”

“Some of us have been offered a cup of my restorative electrolyte tea but apparently it won’t work even though they’ve never tried a sip before so couldn’t possibly know if that’s true or not.” Each of Perfuma’s words got a little higher in pitch as they tumbled out of her mouth but she caught herself in the end and after taking a deep breath the group watched her body relax back into its usual state of serenity.

“As I said before,” Seahawk slurred, unmoving, unable to open his eyes or speak directly to the group this time, “a brave and intrepid sea farer such as myself has no need of electrolytes or fancy teas. Once I am back aboard my ship with the sea spray on my face and the wind on my tail I will be right as rain once more!”

“You won’t. You’ll probably collapse into bed below deck for the entire voyage home and I’ll be the one left sailing the ship.” Mermista laughed along with the others.

The group continued to talk and laugh and make their way through the basket of food and bottles of colourful drinks until they lost all track of time. Eventually, Adora noticed that the midday sun had sunk considerably lower in the sky and determined that at least a couple of hours had passed since Catra had ventured off in search of Entrapta. She waited until Scorpia had finished telling the group about an awkward dance she had endured at the ball with an Erelandian noble who was at least two feet shorter than herself, before asking, “Guys, do you think I should go and check on Catra and Entrapta?”.

“Why, it hasn’t been that long has it?” Glimmer, responded.

“Its been a few hours since she left I think.” Adora countered, her brow starting to furrow, not so much with worry but with intrigue as to why the pair would be taking so long to return to the group.

Mermista groaned, “If it really has been that long me and Seahawk need to leave, like, right now or we’re going to end up sailing most of the way back to Salineas in the dark and I don’t want to hit any of those rocks off of the Mermaid Peninsula, they’re sooo annoying”.

“Agreed, my love!” Seahawk sat upright, slowly. “We must bid our friends a reluctant farewell.” He scrambled to his feet, wobbling a little as he straightened up and then held his hand out for Mermista to take, pulling her up and into his arms, as she smiled shyly at the gesture.

“Tell Catra goodbye from us.” Mermista said to Adora, leaning over Seahawk’s shoulder. “And tell the geek princess that she still hasn’t taken up my invitation to come visit us at Salineas. I told her she’d get full access to study the Sea Gate, I haven’t forgotten.”

Adora chuckled, unsurprised that Entrapta had been too distracted to visit Mermista’s kingdom over the past year. “I’ll tell them both.” She said, smiling warmly at her friend and fellow warrior princess. “It’s been so good to see you guys! Get home safe, okay.”

“Oh we could not be safer with the mighty Captain Seahawk at the helm!” Seahawk roared, clearly feeling a little more himself after having something to eat and resting all afternoon.

“Urghhh Scorpia, can I leave him here with you?” Mermista teased and the friends all laughed, every single one of them knowing that Mermista without Seahawk would be as lost as a night sky without the North Star.

* * *

Once the group of friends had waved off Mermista and Seahawk until their ship was little more than a dark speck on the horizon, Adora broke away and headed off towards the west wing of the palace, in search of Catra. Glimmer had offered, once again, to teleport Adora to the laboratory but she politely declined. She wasn’t adverse to teleporting like Catra was, on the contrary, she enjoyed the experience and it was definitely much more time efficient. However, on this occasion, Adora was looking forward to exploring a bit of the palace on her own. Every other time she’d been back to the Fright Zone she had been with Glimmer and they were wrapped up in so many back-to-back council meetings and official social gatherings that they were left with very little free time to themselves. Adora made her way from the docks, back across the lawn and towards the palace entrance. Following the directions that Scorpia had given to Catra, she turned right at the top of the entrance steps and followed the cool, sand coloured flagstones off to the right along a covered colonnade. The late-afternoon sun was casting a golden glow over the walkway, segmented by the shadows of towering columns. Adora rounded a corner and immediately spotted the laboratory tower in the distance. She continued along the colonnade, which she realised most likely ran around the full extent of the palace, breaking off at intervals to allow access to various ornamental gardens and the outermost areas of the main building. One such interval emerged on Adora’s right, a small flight of stone steps opening out onto a rose garden, divided into various symmetrical flower beds, each edged with perfectly shaped topiary hedges. The roses themselves gave the effect of fire, their numerous flowers blending together in luxurious reds, tropical oranges and dazzling yellows. Adora stopped to lean down, cupping one of the red flowers gently in her hand as she raised it to her nose, inhaling its fragrance into her lungs. The rose was sweet and musky, causing Adora’s eyes to flutter closed as she savoured the scent. Reluctantly she let the flower fall softly back into place, leaving it to rest amongst its fellow blooms, basking in the heat of the afternoon sun. She set off again, crunching her way over the gravel, which lined the path around the flower beds and emerged on the west side of the rose garden, continuing on to the laboratory tower. It was a relatively short, straight line from the garden to the tower but in the heat of the sun, even later on in the afternoon, Adora moved slowly and she began to regret the extra pastry she had eaten on the lawn beforehand. She regretted this decision even more as she gradually got closer to the tower and the sheer height of the structure became more evident to her with every step.

By the time Adora reached the base of the tower, her brow was beaded with sweat. She wiped her sleeve across her forehead before shedding her red jacket and tying it around her waist. She exhaled, a short, determined breath and began her ascent up the spiral staircase, unintentionally beginning to count the steps as she went. “Two hundred and sixty four” Adora breathed out as she surmounted the final stair, her chest heaving and her thighs and feet burning from the repetitive exertion. She leant forward, resting her hands against her knees, as her breathing regulated and she began to register the sound of two familiar voices, muffled through the solid wooden door she found standing before her.

“Are you sure?” Adora heard Catra ask, the tone of her voice laced with concern. “We can’t tell them unless you’re sure.”

Adora moved closer to the door, listening for a reply.

“I’ve reviewed the data _multiple_ times.” Entrapta’s voice, heavy with excitement, responded. 

“Yeah but you don’t know that she’ll be there. I don’t want to give them any false hope.”

“But if we don’t test the theory then we’ll never know the outcome!”

“I’m just not sure… it could cause so many people so much pain and I feel like we’re all finally getting to a good place.”

“But it could cause so many people so much joy!” Entrapta insisted. “If my calculations are correct and as usual they are, we could use the portal tech that was recovered from Horde Prime’s fleet to transport us into The Void. We could find her and bring her back!”

“ _If_ she’s even alive…” Catra murmured, prompting Adora to fling the laboratory door open, her impatience and curiosity getting the better of her. Catra and Entrapta’s heads snapped up from where they were leaning over a large wooden workbench, its surface littered with a multitude of papers. They both raised their hands in front of their faces to shield their eyes from the sudden influx of natural light that flooded into the room, silhouetting Adora in the laboratory doorway.

“What have you two been doing in here? If _who’s_ alive?” Adora demanded, wasting no time with pleasantries.

There was a pause as Catra and Entrapta looked at each other, wordlessly communicating whether or not they should tell Adora exactly what Entrapta had discovered and accept the consequences that their revelation would inevitably incur. Catra sighed, lowering her head back down towards the bench in resignation. She could never keep anything from Adora, in fact, on one of their first nights spent together as one after being apart for so long, they had both vowed to always be honest with one another. The fact that Adora had walked in on her and Entrapta’s moral debate simply sped up the confession process.

“Adora, just stay calm and listen to me.” Catra said, looking up slowly from the workbench to meet the full force of Adora’s piercing gaze directly.

“Go on.” Adora breathed, the tension in her voice palpable.

Catra took a short moment to brace herself before continuing, choosing her words carefully and enunciating every one clearly, “Entrapta has discovered a dimensional tear between our dimension and Despondos. She thinks we can travel through the tear and into whatever world lies beyond it. She thinks Queen Angella might be alive in there.”

“Angella!?” Adora gasped. “Glimmer…” She whispered, before rushing out of the room, light headed, suddenly overcome with a crushing need to breathe in the cool, open air.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> Sorry for the long gap in between chapters. August has been a very busy month work wise so my down time has mainly been spent sleeping to be honest... but finally, happy September, here we are with a new chapter!
> 
> Check out my instagram @pendlemoth for some visuals.
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe! Take it easy x

_“ADORA! HOLD ON!”_

_Adora heard the queen’s voice before she spotted Angella flying towards her through the blinding light of reality disintegrating all around them. The truest mother that Adora had ever known, if only for a brief time, swept her up in her arms and navigated them out of the rift to settle safely, for the moment, on the ground below the portal’s vortex. The rushing air whipped the grass around their feet as pieces of Etheria, some bigger than Salinean sailing vessels, broke apart all around them and rose up to be engulfed by the portal. Despite this, Adora’s immediate surroundings felt calm and quiet, as if she and Angella were temporarily suspended in a protective bubble. But neither of them were deceived. Both women knew that the end of the world was upon them. There was no time for complacency now._

_“I remember, Adora.” Angela said, her white gloved hands gripping Adora’s shoulders. “I know this world isn’t our own. How do we fix this?” Angela stared deep into Adora’s eyes, searching for the answer to her question. She must have read something on Adora’s face to trigger some understanding, turning her head to look over her shoulder towards the spiralling vortex._

_Adora stepped out from Angella’s embrace and followed her gaze towards the portal,focussing on the Sword of Power, fixed firmly in place inside the vortex, whilst the world swirled and raged around it. As Adora took in the sight, Madam Razz’s words echoed through her mind, “_ Go back to the beginning _…” she breathed out, “Razz meant my beginning… to the place I came through as a baby!”. Adora turned back to face Angella and continued, “I can fix everything. I just need to go into the portal and pull out the sword. That will turn it off and everyone will come back safe and sound!”_

_“And you’ll come back safe too?” Angella knew, Adora. She knew how caring and selfless she was and above all how desperately she wanted to live up to the heroic legend of She-Ra. She pushed her daughter’s friend, a girl who had become like a second daughter to herself, for an answer to her question, her hands returning to rest firmly on Adora’s shoulders,“Adora, you’ll come back too right?”_

_Adora shook her head, “I have to do this. This is my destiny.”_

_Angella’s face fell. “Oh Adora, no. This is not it.” She wrapped her arms around Adora, holding her tightly, knowing that this would likely be the very last time she would be able to do so._

_Adora was confused, she could see no other way to halt the destruction of reality than to follow Entrapta’s instructions. Remove the sword from inside the portal. That’s what she had to do. Why was Angella delaying this? “But… this is the only way to fix things.” Adora said, tears beginning to fall from her tired, bluebell eyes._

_Angella released Adora from her embrace. She was smiling, her eyes were warm and an aura of serenity emanated from her angelic being. “Do you want to know a secret? I am a coward” She said, walking away from a protesting Adora, towards the rift, lost in her own thoughts, “I’ve always been the queen who stays behind. Micah was the brave one, and then Glimmer… oh Glimmer, so much like her father. And once again I stayed behind, letting her make the hard choices, letting her be brave for me. I told myself I was being responsible but, Adora… I was just scared. And then I met you. You inspired us. You inspired me. Not because it was your destiny but because you never let fear stop you. And now I choose to be brave.” Angella closed the gap between herself and Adora once more and, taking the princess’ face gently in her hands, kissed her softly on the forehead before, in the blink of an eye, Angella’s wings burst open and she was flying with all of her strength and speed and bravery, towards the centre of the vortex. Adora screamed after her from the ground but it was no use. Angella had made her decision. She had decided to be brave. She had decided to make a final stand for her daughter and her friends and all of the people of Etheria. Adora watched in disbelief as Angella reached the eye of the vortex and grasped the Sword of Power with both hands. Electricity sprang from the sword, crackling violently in all directions but Angella refused to let go. As she mustered every ounce of her strength, the queen looked back towards Adora and said, calmly, “Take care of each other.” There was no way that Adora could hear Angella’s voice over the deafening sounds raging all around them but somehow, she_ felt _the words. The vow was spoken silently between the two women. Their eyes met one last time before Angella screamed out through her exertion as she ripped the sword from the portal. Adora looked on in horror as a ball of blinding white light emanated from the centre of the vortex, growing bigger and bigger and moving closer and closer towards her until it completely engulfed her vision and all she could see was nothingness._

* * *

“Adora”… “Adora!”… “Adora, wake up, come on, babe, wake up!” Catra was on her knees, leaning over Adora and gently shaking her girlfriend’s shoulders in an attempt to wake her from her concussion. As Adora had staggered back through the laboratory door in shock after Catra’s revelation, she had tripped on an uneven flagstone and fallen forwards towards the tower wall, cracking her head against the ungiving surface. She had only been unconscious for a few minutes but to Catra it felt like hours. The blood had rushed from Adora’s face and a deep red mark was appearing around the point of impact on the side of her forehead, which Catra could see becoming bigger and darker with every passing second. Combat medical training, a primary requirement for all Horde recruits to undertake from an early age, had taught Catra that she needed to apply ice to the injury as soon as possible to reduce the swelling and for the first time in her life she wished that she could teleport. “Entrapta, I don’t suppose you have any ice up here?”

‘I don’t…” Entrapta replied, as she leaned in, supported by her prehensile hair, to study the unfolding biological developments taking place under Adora’s skin. “But I can send one of my bots to get some?!”

To Catra’s relief, Adora’s eyes began to roll under her lids and her breathing, which had dropped right down to a faint, slow rhythm became more pronounced. “I think we should get Glimmer up here as fast as possible and she can teleport us all back to the main palace. We don’t need to tell her anything about _why_ Adora tripped, only that she has and that we need her help, okay?”

Entrapta nodded.

“Do you have a bot that can get a message to Glimmer?” Catra asked, her voice strained from trying to stay as calm as possible, whilst the love of her life lay unconscious on the ground below her.

“Oh, yeah, I do!” Entrapta squealed with excitement, her hair propelling her out of sight, back through the laboratory door. Catra could hear Entrapta talking to herself along with the sounds of bags being unzipped and metal objects clinking and clanging across the floor. Within thirty seconds Entrapta had returned to Catra’s side, holding a small, circular metal object with one glowing red eye in the centre of it. Entrapta pushed the eye inwards with her thumb, causing it to light up as the bot whirred to life, a rigid sail emerging from the top and a small propeller engine from the back. The propeller repositioned itself automatically to face the ground, as the bot rose, whirring, from Entrapta’s hands and hovered in the air in front of her. Catra watched impatiently, as the bot’s creator bounced up and down on the spot, grinning and clapping her hands together in front of her with the speed of a hummingbird’s wings.

“ENTRAPTA!”

“Oh right.” Entrapta said, snapping out of her excitement and focussing intently on the task at hand. “Peggy, I need you to get a message to Queen Glimmer of Brightmoon” she instructed the bot, “Tell her to teleport to the top of the laboratory tower right away.” Peggy beeped a brief response before zooming off over the edge of the tower, gliding down and out of sight around the side of the palace.

With nothing left to do but wait, Catra returned her full attention to Adora. Some colour had finally begun to creep back into her cheeks and her breathing was definitely growing stronger. Catra repositioned herself and gently lifted Adora’s shoulders off of the ground to rest her girlfriend’s upper body against her lap. The memory of Adora lying with her, in the exact same position, as Horde Prime syphoned power from the Heart of Etheria, flashed through Catra’s mind, triggering a surge of anxiety to clamp itself around her chest. _This is not the same,_ Catra told herself. _It’s just a bump to the head, you’re not going to lose her. You didn’t lose her then, you’re not going to lose her now._ This wasn’t the first time Catra’s fear of losing Adora had been triggered since the pair had somehow escaped the destruction of the Heart unscathed. Every time Adora left Brightmoon on her diplomatic missions, Catra found herself having to fight the apprehension that their kiss goodbye could be their last kiss ever. She knew the planet was now at peace and that being She-Ra meant that Adora could more than handle herself in any dangerous situations but that still didn’t stop Catra’s anxiety. Even when they were children, before she had realised that her feelings for Adora were based upon much more than just friendship, Catra had always been protective of her and vice versa. Adora was everything to her. They were everything to each other. Two halves of a whole. A world in which Adora did not exist was simply incomprehensible…

Suddenly, a flash of light and the sound of magic pulled Catra from her darkest thoughts.

“What happened?!” Catra heard Glimmer’s voice, anxious and shrill behind her.

“I… she…” Catra locked eyes with Entrapta, standing nervously at the edge of the drama, clearly fighting the urge to tell Glimmer all about her discovery and the real reason why Adora was lying unconscious on the floor. Catra’s eyes narrowed in warning. “We were all leaving the lab to come back and meet you guys and Adora tripped on her way out. She went flying and smacked her head on the wall, she’s been out cold ever since.” Knowing the real story, Catra’s lie felt incredibly feeble as it left her mouth but Glimmer, none-the-wiser and fully aware of how clumsy Adora could be at any given moment when she wasn’t She-Ra, seemed to accept it without question. “We need to get her to the infirmary, quickly.” Catra finished.

Glimmer nodded, pursed her lips and knelt down beside Catra and Adora, simultaneously reaching out for Entrapta to take her hand. Entrapta stepped forwards and took it whilst Glimmer rested her free hand gently upon Adora’s shoulder, “Let’s go.” She said, solemnly.

* * *

Nothingness.

Darkness.

A flicker.

A flash.

Then a constant, blinding white light.

Adora gasped as she was pulled back from the void of her own sub-conscious and her all too vivid memory of Queen Angella’s sacrifice. Catra was there, _of course Catra was there_ , easing her shoulders back down into the soft, white mattress of the infirmary bed and stroking her hair out of her eyes, her fingers trailing soothingly around her face.

“It’s okay, Adora, you’re okay.” Catra whispered calmly. “You had a fall, you bumped your head and knocked yourself out but you’re okay. We’re in the palace infirmary, Glimmer teleported us here.” She explained.

Adora blinked, as her eyes adjusted to the light and her brain struggled to process what Catra was telling her. And then she felt it. A searing pain in her forehead, emanating from her temple and stretching all the way across the front of her scull.

“Ow” she croaked, reaching her hand up to feel the pain for herself, an automatic reaction of the body’s inherent morbid curiosity. Catra caught the rising hand gently in both of her own, bringing it up to her lips and kissing Adora’s exposed finger tips.

“Have I told you lately how much of an idiot you are?” Catra teased, her voice laced with love and affection and warmth and relief. Her smile matched her tone, although a hint of the worry she had been feeling just moments before could be seen lingering at the corners of her mouth.

“Not since… I don’t know. My head feels like it’s full of fog. Where are we again?”

The worry that had almost faded from Catra’s expression sprang back to her face, like the crack of a whip. “We’re staying with Scorpia, that’s where we are now, we’re in her palace. We came here last night for a ball and today you spent the afternoon on the lawn with our friends, until…” Catra trailed off for a moment, unsure of how to explain, or rather _how much_ to explain, of what happened next. “I went to see Entrapta and I guess I was gone a long time because you came looking for me. That’s when you tripped in the laboratory tower and hit your head. You’ve been out cold for about twenty minutes.” _That seems like enough for now,_ Catra thought. _No use overwhelming her with the specifics until she’s a bit more with it._

Adora let her eyes flutter closed again and when she didn’t reopen them immediately, Catra panicked and moved to shake her girlfriend awake. She stopped when Adora opened her eyes once more and began recounting what she remembered from her own most immediate memories. “We… we arrived here yesterday. We went to the ball. We saw our friends. We danced together. We spent the night together. We spent the morning together.”

Catra smiled, tears welling in her eyes, as she pulled Adora’s hand, still clasped between both of her own, to rest against her lips. “That’s right babe, we did. We had an amazing night… and morning.” She grinned at Adora, who smiled back, weakly but perceptively.

“But then…” Adora frowned, mentally fighting to disperse the fog in her brain that was clouding around her memories, preventing her from seeing anything from the past few hours clearly. Catra’s face fell at the realisation of the turmoil that was taking place behind Adora’s eyes. The fall had been an accident but it had been an accident that occurred as a result of something Catra had said and she couldn’t help but feel sick from the guilt of it. She lay Adora’s hand down across her chest and moved further up the side of the bed to rest her palm against Adora’s cheek and look directly into her eyes, willing her, without words, to try to stay calm. “But then…” Adora’s breathing became a little more rapid, “you were gone, I lost you, so I went to find you. You were with Entrapta. You were in the tower with Entrapta and you were both talking… arguing… arguing about me? About Glimmer?” Her chest was rising and falling as if she had just completed one of her training workouts. “Arguing about us, about whether or not to tell us… to tell us there’s a chance we can rescue Angella!” Adora’s eyes grew wide as her memories flooded back to her. She stared up at Catra, the look on her face indiscernible.

“Yes.” That was all Catra could manage. She had been so focussed on making sure that Adora was safe and well that she hadn’t had time to consider how she was going to tackle the subject of Entrapta’s revelation with her. She tried to say something more but she couldn’t find the words. She simply sighed and hung her head, unable to make eye contact with Adora whose eyes she could feel burning into her with the intensity of a supernova.

Adora scoffed. Unfortunately for Catra she was gaining back her sarcasm as well as her memories. “Well I’m glad I woke up for that.” Adora pouted, “good job I wasn’t out for longer, otherwise you might have had time to throw in a second word and I might not have been able to keep up.”

She was angry, Catra knew she would be. She was angry that she was injured. She was angry that she was still in the dark about something important. She was angry that Catra was the one keeping something from her.

“So?” Adora was waiting for more.

“So what?” Catra growled into her chest. She was getting angry herself now. Why was this suddenly all her responsibility? Why was she the one who would have to turn the worlds of two of the people closest to her upside down so soon after they had finally stabilised them. She hadn’t made the discovery, in fact she still barely understood what the discovery even was and now she was the one being pressured to explain it?! _Classic Catra, wrong place wrong time,_ she thought resentfully, flashbacks of similar predicaments from her childhood parading themselves through her mind. She clenched her fists and took a step back from the bed, wishing that she hadn’t left Melog back in Brightmoon, they always helped her to manage her emotions in circumstances like these. She was teetering on a precipice, seesawing between two familiar choices: fight or flight. Her immediate instinct was still to run and it took every ounce of her self-control to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground in front of Adora. _That’s not who I am anymore, that’s not what we do to each other. We promised. We stay._ Catra sighed, releasing some of the tension that had coiled around her shoulders and unclenched her fists, stretching her fingers out one by one in quick succession. “Honestly, I don’t know the full details. You know Entrapta, she says a lot of things that are difficult for a non-scientist to understand… but… basically, what I do know is that she was working on the telescope in the laboratory tower, trying to increase its power so that she could map more of the stars and planets around Etheria. As she was doing that, she found a rip or a tear or something in the fabric of our dimension, from when Etheria was transported back out of Despondos. She thinks it's some kind of entrance to a void between the dimensions and that this might be the only opportunity we will ever get to explore it and…” Catra hesitated.

“And what?” Adora breathed out, knowing exactly what Catra was holding back but wanting her, _needing her_ , to say it out loud.

“And… there’s absolutely no guarantee that this void is the one that Glimmer’s mom got trapped inside when she closed Hordak’s portal… and my portal too I guess…” Catra’s eyes fell, the guilt of her past life choices still causing her torment. “But it could be. It could be possible to get Angella back.” Her eyes rose once more, cautiously, to meet Adora’s. She was met with two pained, bluebell eyes overflowing with tears.

“We have to tell Glimmer. And Micah! We have to let them know that there’s a chance, even if it is a slim one. They deserve to know the truth.” Adora’s voice was distant, as if she was trying to justify what she was saying with herself before anyone else.

“I know we do. That was never a question. I just wanted to know if Entrapta could get any more information before we broke the news to you and Glimmer.” Catra stepped back to the bedside, resting her hand on top of Adora’s, her thumb gently tracing soothing circles against her skin. “But my first priority is to make sure that you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry I worried you.” Adora’s voice was strained with emotion as she scrunched her eyes closed against a fresh wave of tears. “And I’m sorry I got mad! I know you’ve only just found out as well… I was just shocked and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

Catra brought her hands up to Adora’s jaw, cradling her head in her palms as she leant down to gently kiss her on the forehead. “You’ve got nothing to apologise for, Adora. You tripping was just really unlucky! And everything else, I feel like our lives were probably overdue some new drama anyway. You’re not responsible for any of this, so don’t put that guilt on yourself.”

Adora smiled, snuggling her cheek against Catra’s warm, familiar hands, “When did you get so wise and rational?”

“When I thought I was going to lose you to the Heart. You’d be surprised how much the fear of losing your soul mate, especially before you’ve had the chance to let her know that she’s your soul mate, can really ground a person.” There was a lightness to Catra’s tone but Adora knew how serious she was. Catra sighed, “I love you, Adora.”

“I love you too.”

“So please stop trying to get yourself killed. Be more careful at the top of really tall towers! And, you know, just generally, okay?”

“I will, babe.” Adora reached her hands up to Catra’s face, brushing her thumbs across her cheeks as she brought her mouth down to meet her own, kissing her gently on the lips. Catra kissed her back, her own hands still cupping Adora’s face. She was gentle, tentative, scared of causing Adora any further pain but also desperate to communicate all of her love, relief and atonement through the kiss. Their tongues danced delicately together as the couple’s hands both moved to tangle in each other’s hair. Beside the bed, the infirmary tech that was monitoring Adora’s vital signs began to beep at an increasing rate, as the numbers corresponding to Adora’s pulse rate began to rise. Catra registered the sound, somewhere in the distance of the haze of desire that was rapidly engulfing her and managed to slow things down just as a pair of the infirmary nurses entered the room, alerted by the patient alarm system they had at their station.

“Is everything alright in here?” The more mature of the two nurses asked, her voice stern and her severe eyes burning into Catra’s, clearly disapproving of her obvious interference with her patient.

Adora could feel Catra’s aura prickle with indignation and annoyance at the nurse’s implied accusation, so she jumped in quickly to diffuse the situation. “I’m feeling much better than I was.” Adora said, shuffling her body into a halfway sitting position, “I just got a bit emotional whilst Catra explained to me what happened.”

Everyone in the room knew what had really caused Adora’s heart to race. The younger nurse kept her eyes fixed on the ground, attempting to hide the subtle smile that was fighting to betray her professional decorum. The older nurse rolled her eyes and marched towards Adora, shouldering her way past Catra to busy herself with checking over Adora’s vitals and asking her some routine observational questions. Catra swallowed her urge to direct a passive aggressive comment at the nurse and backed away from the bed. The younger nurse leant over to Catra and said quietly, “She’s going to be fine you know. We’ll only need to monitor her for a few more hours and then she’ll be discharged, as long as there are no developments in the meantime. We won’t let her sleep with a concussion but she should still probably get some rest before she leaves. How about you go and be with your friends for a couple of hours and i'll send one of the guards for you if there are any issues.”

Catra looked over at Adora, watching her as she went through the checklist of symptoms with the older nurse. She looked tired but she looked more like Adora again, _her_ Adora, not the ashen, ghost of a woman she had been holding on top of the laboratory tower. Reassured by the sight Catra nodded and turned to thank the younger nurse beside her. As soon as Adora’s vitals had been taken and all the relevant paperwork had been filled in Catra returned to her side and explained what the nurse had said to her. It took all of her willpower to turn away from Adora and leave her there in the infirmary. Catra knew it was only for a few hours but once more her protective urge had kicked into overdrive nonetheless.

* * *

A few hours later Catra returned to the infirmary. Rather than seek out her friends, Catra had spent her time away from the infirmary alone, purposely avoiding Glimmer in particular and therefore any risk of letting slip what had really caused Adora’s accident. Time dragged by very slowly.

Once it had been two hours exactly since Catra had left the infirmary, she made her way back across the palace to return to Adora, running impatiently up staircases and marching along corridors. More than once she had rounded a corner to collide with a patrolling guard. She took the steps to the infirmary two at a time, stopping briefly at the top of the staircase to compose herself, straightening out her clothes and her hair as quickly as possible. As she reached the nurses station, Catra was relieved to find that the older nurse from earlier was nowhere to be seen but the younger one looked up from her desk as she heard Catra approaching, “Hey there!” She said, her voice warm and bright like wind chimes, “Did you have a nice few hours away?”

“Yeah, thanks, it was fine.” Catra knew she didn’t sound convincing but she didn’t care, all she wanted was to see Adora. “Is Adora okay?”

“Oh yes, fine! Everything seems normal. We were going to get her ready for discharge but then her friend arrived, so we’ve held off. I think they’re having quite a serious talk. Nurse Cinna wasn’t happy with it but you can’t really argue with a queen!”

Catra’s heart sank. “A queen?” She asked, though she already knew who was on the other side of the infirmary ward’s doors.

“Yes,” the nurse nodded enthusiastically, “the Queen of Brightmoon.” If it wasn’t for the rush of panic flooding every one of Catra’s veins she would have laughed at the awe that the young nurse clearly had for the leader of the Princess Alliance but this was no time for laughter. She knew that Adora wouldn’t be able to keep Entrapta’s discovery a secret from Glimmer and she couldn’t let Adora have that conversation on her own. Catra turned on her heel and sped towards the infirmary ward doors, ignoring the nurse’s cries of protest over ‘one visitor at a time’ rules. She pulled one of the doors open and slipped through, bracing herself for the raw emotion she was about to be met with on the other side.


End file.
